2008 Wish List

When I was little, one of the highlights of my year was to get in the car with my mom and head over to the local department store sometime before Christmas. The reason for this annual pilgrimage was to get the chance to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what to bring me in a few days. This was back in the day before malls instituted one central Santa and it really was like the set up you see in the movie "Miracle on 34th Street," with each store having their own Santa, usually sitting in a window. I always went to The Broadway [pictured below], a now defunct west coast department store chain. Well this year I want to revive a little of that tradition. Except with a twist. With the Iowa caucuses upon us and the rest of the political primary season close behind, I present my political Christmas wish list for the upcoming Presidential Elections. 1. I want a straight shooter, not a weasel. Look, here's the deal, I want someone who will be upfront with me. If you screw up. tell me so and let's move on, don't try to hide behind Executive Privilege or the "I can't comment on an open investigation" dodge. This is the stuff that pisses regular guys off. I can't use this defense in my job, so why should you? This also means if you get a yes or no question, I want to hear a yes or no answer! 2. I want someone who will balance the budget. Why is this so hard? We should only spend what we are taking in, if that! I have to do in my family so why should the government be any different. And please, no talk from anyone about which party will be better at this. We have seen that neither party has had much interest in cutting spending or raising revenue. 3. I want a someone who will call us to be better. I was not a big fan of Ronald Reagan, but he was the best at this. He was a great Chief Cheerleader for America. He called us to be bigger and better, like JFK. Is this too much to ask? 4. I want someone who understands that both the Republicans and the Democrats have something good to say to America. If you listen to our current crop of candidates, it is as if they believe there is nothing good about the other party. If you can't play nice in public, why should I believe you will be able to do so if you are elected? 5. Finally, I want someone who can lead us in a season of change. Let's face it, we need to change a few things around in our house. I see us having four big issues; the economy, Iraq, immigration, and governmental dysfunction. To have any success, our next president will have to be able to use the first four skills on my list to be effective here. So there you have it. My list for Santa. Is there someone out there who can do it? If you have anyone in mind, let me know. I am hoping America will not have to wake up after the elections next year and find a lump of coal in her stocking! PS Happy New Year!